April 14, 2010

Anniversary of completion of the Human Genome Project – 2003On this date in 2003, a press conference was held to announce the completion of the Human Genome Project, two years earlier than planned.The goal of the project was to figure out the order of chemical base pairs that make up DNA and to identify and map all 20,000 – 25,000 human genes.Obviously, since nobody has exactly the same genome (other than identical twins), the project of mapping the genome involves sequencing variations of each gene.

This project and other parallel projects, as well as work on sequencing the genome of other creatures and comparison of various genomes, has furthered and will continue to be applied to medicine, energy and environmental projects, forensics (such as identifying the victim of a crime), agriculture, ancestry and human evolution, migration, and assorted other anthropology topics. Learn more about Genetics

Here is a wonderful online mini-course on genetics. Each concept has an illustrated explanation, animation, “gallery” of photos or diagrams, some audio-visual clips, biographies of important scientists, a problem or two for kids to answer, and links to other websites. Excellent!

Zoom into DNA is an opportunity to see amazing real images of cells, chromosomes, and DNA.

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This site is designed to be a source of interesting articles for kids and a resource for teachers and parents (especially homeschool teacher/parents!). From world holidays to historical anniversaries, Every Day Is Special celebrates each and every day.